Sen. Sasse Responds After Trump Blasts His Criticism of Executive Orders

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) is responding to President Donald Trump’s recent Twitter attack over his criticism of the president’s new executive orders aimed at providing financial relief to Americans.

Trump took aim at Sasse on Monday morning for calling his executive orders “unconstitutional slop,” as IJR reported.

Later in the day, Sasse’s to the president’s attack on Twitter, “Mr. President — I understand that you’re mad. A few thoughts….”

He continued, “As we’ve discussed before, I don’t think Twitter is the best place to do this. But, since you moved our conversation from private to public, here we are…”

Sasse said he believes Trump is not happy he did not join his re-election committee and that he ran a campaign ad in his primary fight that highlighted the fact the two have disagreed sometimes.

“None of my disagreements are personal,” Sasse said, adding, “In fact, you know — from our many conversations, even in the last few weeks — that I care about you personally and have tried to help you repeatedly, even on issues where our prudential judgement differs widely.”

He also noted that he has not “asked you for anything personal,” and has instead “pleaded with you, but for bigger things like better U.S. policy on the Chinese Communist Party — and on this, you have done a very good job.”

Sasse went on to explain that he would have shared the same view of Trump’s executive orders if they were issued by a Democrat.

“No president — whether named Obama or Trump or Biden or AOC — has unilateral power to rewrite immigration law or to cut taxes or to raise taxes. This is because America doesn’t have kings. Under our Constitution, we’re supposed to have public servants — Article I folks who pass laws; an Article II ‘presiding officer’ who executes those laws; and Article III judges who have to put on boring black robes to remind them that they are not activists players like the folks in Articles I or II.”

He signed his letter “Gym Rat,” referring to a separate attack tweet Trump sent where he said, “ looks more like a gym rat than a U.S. Senator. How the hell did he ever get elected?”

After Trump signed his executive orders, Sasse issued a statement denouncing the move, “The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop.”

“President Obama did not have the power to unilaterally rewrite immigration law with DACA, and President Trump does not have the power to unilaterally rewrite the payroll tax law,” he continued.

And he stressed that the Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate taxes.

But that tweet did not sit well with Trump, who endorsed Sasse in his primary, as IJR reported. 

“RINO 👤Ben Sasse, who needed my support and endorsement in order to get the Republican nomination for Senate from the GREAT State of Nebraska, has, now that he’s got it, (Thank you President T), gone rogue, again,” Trump tweeted.

He added, “This foolishness plays right into the hands of the Radical Left Dems!”